Reparation for Filipino Comfort Women: It should be now or it will be never

This is a concern that falls a little close to my heart. My wife was raised by her mother alone because her father died when she was just 3 years old. When her mom was out working it was her grandfather, a world war II veteran, that looked after her and basically was a big help in raising her. There was a law passed by the US Government known as the Recission Act that was granted 1946 which stripped Filipino veterans of their status as US veterans and thus denying them of their benefits due to soldiers who served during the war when the US was still occupying the Philippines.[1] Fast forward to February 2009, US President Barack Obama approved a Stimulus Bill that granted $198 million to Filipino World War II veterans who would be receiving their share of the grant in lump-sum. My wife accompanied her grandfather to the Philippine Veterans Affair Office or PVAO to renew and make the necessary updates to his US Veteran status in anticipation of the lump-sum grant brought about by the Stimulus Bill which was already approved by then President Arroyo for dissemination to surviving World War II veterans. We were glad to know that our government stayed true in disseminating the grant as we received a letter from the PVAO in February 2010, approximately a year after President Obama approved the Stimulus Bill, stating that the lump-sum benefit was already available for claim. It would have been a happy moment for the family if it were not for the fact that our dear Tatay Jose was taken from us on August 3, 2009 or about 7 months before the letter was received.

My stand on this matter is very clear and that the time to act on this issue is now. It was an opportune time to act on this matter when the Japanese emperor visited the country last January 26-30 but then again this concern should have been acted on long before this event. According to our government that this issue between the two countries have long been settled as per former DFA Secretary Domingo Siazon but according to Lila Pilipina, a group of World War II comfort women, and the partylist group Gabriela it is not. In response Gabriela filed House Resloution 2618 challenging the Aquino government to present to the public the claims that this is an issue that was already settled by the Philippine and Japanese Government. [2]

I hope that President Aquino did not pass up the opportunity to raise the issue during the Japanese Emperor’s visit to the country. It may convince the emperor to act on the matter the same way President Obama acted on the Stimulus Bill back in 2009 because of his personal sentiment towards war veterans. We could only hope that the Japanese Emperor in any way has a similar sentiment towards the victims of the Japanese occupation especially the Filipina comfort women. These group of victims are an aging group who are on an average in their 90s already. If that is not reason enough to act now then the solution to this problem will never happen.   

[1] http://www.philstar.com/breaking-news/440029/gma-grateful-us-stimulus-bill-war-vets-get-lump-sum-benefit

[2] http://bulatlat.com/main/2016/01/23/comfort-women-wants-aquino-to-discuss-reparation-with-japanese-emperor/